VETERAN OF THE YEAR

VFW DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON • 2026–2027

Veteran of the Year

Honoring exceptional service, leadership, and devotion to veterans and community.

Recognize outstanding service

The Veteran of the Year Award honors a comrade whose service to veterans, their Post, and their community goes above and beyond.

Where to submit your nomination

Post → District → Department Adjutant

Veteran of the Year is part of the Department All-State Program. District submissions go to the Department Adjutant.

  1. Post: Send your nomination to your District using its submission instructions.
  2. District: Complete the District review and email the advancing nomination to the Department Adjutant at adj@vfwwa.net.

The Department Adjutant is the primary recipient for the District submission. Do not use the previous Chairman-first / Adjutant-CC instructions.

Email Department Adjutant

This button opens your email application. Attach the nomination packet before sending.

2026–2027 deadlines

Post advancement

The All-State program lists this date for advancing a Post Veteran of the Year entry. Coordinate submission with your District.

District submission

Confirm with the Department Adjutant.

The current District-to-Department deadline has not been verified. Ask for the deadline before submitting.

Award presentation

Current schedule to be confirmed.

Contact the Department for the 2027 award presentation details.

Source: 2026–2027 All-State Program. The prior March 2026 deadlines have passed.

Prepare a nomination

Confirm the current nomination requirements. The supplied packet covers 2025–2026. Ask the Department Adjutant for the 2026–2027 packet, eligible activity period, and final District deadline before completing your entry.

The following guidance comes from the previous award page and should be checked against the current packet.

Eligibility and narrative

  • One veteran nominated per Post Commander each year.
  • Written recommendation of no more than 300 words.
  • Use the eligible activity period specified in the current packet.

Supporting material

  • Describe volunteer work, community service, and support for veterans.
  • Keep photos and identifying information out of the narrative.
  • Previously, attachments were excluded from the 300-word limit.
  • Include the nominee’s hat size on the nomination form.

Judging

  • The previous guidance called for at least three VFW members on the judging panel.
  • Personal identifiers are removed before judging.
  • Keep required identifying details on the form, separate from the narrative.

Nomination packet and assistance

Request the current packet and confirm the requirements with the Department Adjutant at adj@vfwwa.net.

Previous packet — 2025–2026 (reference only)

This packet contains past-cycle dates and may contain superseded routing instructions. It is retained for reference and is not labeled as the current application.

Open 2025–2026 nomination packet (PDF)

Last updated: · Version 1.1.0